


Cupcake

by FiveOddballs



Category: Ensemble Stars! (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, M/M, coffee shop AU, oh god so much fluff please save me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-01
Updated: 2016-11-01
Packaged: 2018-08-28 12:12:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8445397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiveOddballs/pseuds/FiveOddballs
Summary: The best part of Mika's daily routine is stopping by the Knights Cafe every morning. But when one of the workers starts drawing hearts next to his name on the cup, he sets out on a mission to discover who.





	

Mika had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a bad day.

The past two weeks or so had rough. Loud tenants in the apartment next to his, the bakery in which he worked struggling to compete with the new one across the street, and his favorite candy shop closing down all worked to bring down his mood. It was becoming more difficult for him to find simple pleasures in life.

Luckily, however, one thing he enjoyed remained constant: the Knights Cafe. He stopped there every morning to pick up a coffee before going into work at Valkyrie’s Treats; its atmosphere never ceased to calm him and its coffee always helped him get through the day. Not to mention the fact that the employees, except for one silver-haired man, all seemed to be very polite.

Yet, one day, halfway on his way to work, Mika noticed that a heart had been drawn on his cup, right next to his name. Upon seeing it, he blushed and nearly walked into the middle of the street because he wasn’t paying attention. Who would’ve drawn a heart on his cup? And why? Shaking his head, he continued on, trying to dismiss his wonderings, telling himself that it was some prank or mistake.

...Until it happened again the next day. When he saw the heart next to his name, slightly bigger than the last one, his face turned beet red and he nearly dropped his coffee on one of the cafe’s patterned rugs, earning him a look from the red-haired cashier. Sputtering out an apology, Mika fled the restaurant.

For the rest of the day, he couldn’t stop thinking about the heart on his cup. The culprit had to be one of the cafe’s employees. It was a fairly small establishment, as only five people worked there: the orange-haired manager, the black-haired chef, the blond and silver-haired baristas, and the red-haired cashier. He didn’t know any of them well- really, he didn’t even know their _names_ \- so he had no clue which one of them it could be. His entire work shift was consumed by him wondering who it could be, and, in the occasional stray thought, who he’d want it to be. At one point, he was so distracted that he nearly set an oven on fire, earning him a scolding from his boss, Shu.

The next day, Mika woke up earlier than he normally did and hurried to the cafe. As he entered, the staff looked up at him, some of them seeming slightly surprised that he was deviating from his normal routine. The blond barista offered a wave and he sheepishly returned it, attempting to hide his reddening his face with his arm while slowly approaching the counter.

The cashier, whose nametag read Tsukasa, put on a smile as he greeted Mika. “Hello, may I take your order?”

Mika had known exactly what he was going to say since he had woken up this morning, but when he opened his mouth to speak, all of his words disappeared. “Nnah… C’n I have a white chocolate mocha?”

“Of course.” Tsukasa nodded. “That will be $3.75.”

“‘lright,” Mika replied, digging through his wallet for the correct change. For some reason, his hands just wouldn’t seem to work. He felt his face growing hot as he desperately searched for the right coins. “S-Sorry, ‘m havin’ a bit of a hard time findin’ a quarter…” 

After what seemed like an eternity, at last he found one and reached to give the change to Tsukasa. When he passed along the money, his hand brushed against the cashier’s, causing his face to flush even more and his brain to freeze, only letting him think of the heart. _What if he’s the one who drew the heart on the cup? Is he flirting with me? Is-_

Thankfully, he was snapped out of his stupor when he heard the sound of his wallet hitting the ground, assorted coins and candies spilling out on the floor. Quickly bending down to pick them up, he mustered, “Ah, ‘m so sorry! I’mma real klutz!” 

As he moved to place a few coins in his wallet, he noticed that the blond barista was kneeling beside him, collecting his wallet’s contents. Looking up at Mika and setting a fistfull of pennies and peppermints before him, he winked. “You looked like you needed a hand. I’ll just take one of these as payment!” He held up a small chocolate, then stood and returned to his workspace. 

Slowly, Mika stood, wallet in hand, and darted to a booth near the window as he waited for his coffee. For a few moments he ruminated over how horribly he’d embarrassed himself, but then forced himself back on track. He was on a mission. His plan from the start had been to watch the workers prepare his coffee in order to see who drew the hearts, and he was intent on doing so.

However, his focus was interrupted when a loud thump sounded from behind him. Turning around, he saw the manager picking up a cluster of thick books which had fallen to the floor. Standing up, he offered to help him, but he declined, saying that he was fine. Moments later, the cashier’s voice rang out, announcing that Mika’s coffee was ready, and with a shock he realized that he had just missed the chance to see who had written on his cup.

Feeling somewhat defeated, he made his way back to the register and took his drink, thanking the cashier. Then he quickly fled the store, not wanting to experience any further embarrassment at the moment. Once he was well away from the building, he looked at his cup and blushed as he saw that the heart encircled his entire name this time. It was then, as he was staring at that heart and walking away from the cafe, that he made a decision.

Over the course of the next week, Mika made a more graceful version of that experience his routine- he would order his coffee and watch the workers, trying to deduce which one of them had been drawing the hearts on his cups. Yet, to his frustration, he was unable to tell. Whenever he was close to spotting the culprit, something would happen to interrupt his focus and then his drink would be ready. At the very least, he did learn the names of all of the employees- Leo, Ritsu, Izumi, Tsukasa, and Arashi. 

When working at the bakery, he found himself wondering about who it could possibly be more and more. He would end up daydreaming, picturing each of them carefully drawing the heart on his cup and presenting it to him with a smile. Shu noticed his lack of attention almost immediately and began watching him like a hawk in order to make sure he didn’t mess anything up. Each day after work ended, he’d find himself unable to stop thinking about the hearts on his cups, and would end up going to sleep thinking about coffee cups and white chocolate mochas.

A little over a week after he had received the first heart, Mika entered the shop and ordered his usual, but when he went to retrieve it, in addition to the heart, it was accompanied by a small vanilla cupcake. He stared at it for a few moments, dumbfounded, then looked at Tsukasa and spoke up. “Um…’m sorry, but I didn’t order this. Maybe ya should take i’ back?”

Tsukasa started to respond, but Izumi leaned over the counter, interrupting him. “Just take it, it’s free food. We don’t have time to deal with customers like you all day.” And, with that, he returned to preparing coffees, but was lectured to about manners by his fellow barista Arashi. Feeling anxiety bubbling in his chest, Mika simply turned and left the cafe to get away from Izumi.

The next day, he was a little hesitant to return to the cafe for fear of being yelled at by Izumi again, but he pressed on. He had to find out who placed the hearts on his coffees. Today, too, he was given a cupcake along with his coffee, this time a chocolate one. After staring at it for a few moments and seeing Tsukasa shrug, he simply took it and went on his way.

About a week and a half after the cupcakes started appearing, Mika was working in the bakery when the welcome bell rang. Looking up and opening his mouth to greet the customer, he nearly dropped the pan he was holding. Standing in front of him, clad in a dress rather than the Knights Cafe uniform, was Arashi.

Mika quickly shoved his pan into the oven, then turned to face his guest. “Nnah…?! Arashi? What’re ya doin’ here?” 

Arashi leaned forward and rested his elbows on the counter, looking up at him. “I heard from Leo that you work here, and you’ve tasted my coffee so many times that I wanted to taste a little of what you make.” 

Gaping at him for a moment, stunned that anyone would want to try his food, he eventually forced out, “E-Eh? Whaddaya want?”

“A cupcake.”

As soon as he heard Arashi’s order, Mika’s jaw dropped and his brain short-circuited. A cupcake. A cupcake. This couldn’t be a coincidence. ...But then again, it could, couldn’t it? Maybe he really was just interested in his cooking and only his cooking. _Yeah, that has to be it. Everything’s fine. The guy drawing hearts is someone else._ Trying to look like he wasn’t having an internal romantic crisis, he asked, “What type?”

Arashi smiled. “I’ll take the chef’s favorite.”

Turning around so that the other man hopefully wouldn’t see his blush, he replied, sounding overly chipper in an attempt to not sound nervous, “Comin’ right up!”

As Mika sped into the kitchen, he finally felt safe now that Arashi couldn’t see him. Despite all the thoughts whirling around in his head, or perhaps because of them, he was able to focus on making his favorite type of cupcake. Once he was done, he presented it to Arashi. “‘Ere ya go! A chocolate lava cupcake with vanilla icing and... rainbow sprinkles.”

Arashi giggled when he saw the cupcake, causing Mika to blush even more. “It’s adorable! Especially with the sprinkles!” Delicately picking it up, he took a small bite and his eyes lit up. “It’s delicious! You’re such a good cook!”  
“I-I’m really not! I’ve jus’ had a lotta practice ‘s all!” He stammered back, too stunned to even try to hide his red face anymore.

“No, you have some serious talent, Mika. This is one of the best things I’ve ever tasted!”

“I-”

“Really! I could eat these forever! You should totally-” Before Arashi could finish, his phone beeped. Checking his texts, his expression fell. “Ugh, it’s work. Kasa didn’t come today, so they need all hands on deck. It looks like I’ve gotta go. See you later, though, ‘kay?”

Mika didn’t have the chance to respond before Arashi was already out the door. Yet, even after he left, the image of his face lingered in his mind. His bright eyes, his wide grin, and the way his hair almost fell in his eyes all remained, but one thing haunted him especially: a little smear of chocolate on his left cheek, only seeming to enhance his vibrant smile. That picture stayed in his head for the rest of the day and prevented him from sleeping at night. It was too perfect.

The first thing he noticed upon entering the cafe the next morning was that Arashi was at the register instead of Tsukasa. He immediately waved and called his name, in response to which Mika smiled shyly. As he took Mika’s order, Arashi went on about how delicious his cupcakes were and how the bakery and cafe should collaborate. His words were seemingly endless, but Mika didn’t mind. He liked listening to him talk. Sadly, Izumi eventually prompted them to get a move on since other customers would be arriving soon.

When he was a little bit away from the cafe, Mika realized something. His coffee didn’t have a heart on it, and he wasn’t in possession of a cupcake. His heart sunk. Of course. Of course he was wrong. He always was when it came to this kind of thing. Arashi really was just interested in him as a cook. 

At work, this weighed on him immensely. He wasn’t able to put his heart into his baking, and it was obvious from both the quality of his pastries and his demeanor. Even Shu seemed to be concerned for him.

Mika remained in this state of melancholy until the door opened to reveal Arashi, out of breath and still wearing his uniform. He staggered over to the counter and leaned on it to catch his breath.

“What’re ya doin’? Why’re ya like this?” Mika remained still, not knowing whether to step away from him to get help or to remain with him to ask what was wrong.

After a few more moments of trying to catch his breath, Arashi stood fully and placed a small paper bag onto the counter with a smile. “When you left this morning, I forgot to give you something.”

Shocked, Mika stared at him for a few moments before glancing at the bag and back. Arashi simply nodded, so he took the bag and removed its contents. Inside was a white chocolate mocha with Mika’s name and a heart, as well as a freshly made chocolate lava cupcake.

He was left speechless for a good while before he finally looked up at Arashi. “You… Yer the one whose been leavin’ me these… arent’cha?”

Smiling, Arashi nodded. “Yes, I am. Now don’t let that cupcake go to waste. I made it just for you.”

Feeling his face flush, Mika looked from Arashi to his cupcake, he quickly picked it up and took a bite. It definitely wasn’t the work of a professional baker, but it was still delicious. After swallowing his first bite, he moved to take another, but found himself laughing instead.

“I’ve been tryin’ ta figure out whose been doin’ this fer weeks! An’ it’s you! I- I’m...” He stopped himself before he finished his sentence, afraid of Arashi’s reaction.

“You’re what?” Arashi furrowed his brows and looked down at him. When he didn’t respond, he leaned forward and cupped his chin in one hand. “You’re what, Mika?”

“I-” With the two of them this close, Mika found it hard to breathe, much less to speak. “...‘m glad i’ was you.”

“I was really worried that you’d lose interest when you found out it was me.” Arashi’s grin widened and he laughed a little. “But I guess I didn’t need to worry.”

In that moment, time seemed to freeze. The two of them were the only two people in existence. They were alone, in their own little world, and as Arashi leaned closer to him, Mika closed his eyes.

And then Shu’s voice rang throughout the building.

The two of them quickly separated as the bakery’s owner entered the room. Looking between them, he asked, “ What are you doing?”

Arashi piped up before Mika could answer, “Oh, I’m a friend of his who works at a coffee shop a few blocks away. He forgot his coffee this morning, so I brought him one.”

Shu eyed them suspiciously, not quite sure if he believed Arashi. “Don’t distract him. He has work to do.” He nodded at Mika, prompting a small ‘yessir’ from him. 

“Got it!” Arashi replied, obviously hoping that Shu would leave. But he didn’t, so he simply looked back to MIka and added, “So, we’re still on for that hangout at the aquarium on Friday at seven, right?”

Mika had no idea what Arashi was talking about, but he nodded. Arashi then left, and Shu went back to his office. It didn’t occur to him that he’d been asked out on a date until about ten minutes later.

He spent the rest of the week thinking about it. _What’s it gonna be like? What’s he got planned? Is it gonna work or is it gonna end up all horrible? No, don’t think like that. It’s gonna go great and everything’s gonna be fine. Just dandy._

When it was finally time, Mika found himself at the aquarium, wearing a blue sweater vest over a white dress shirt and black pants. He milled around near the entrance for a bit before hearing his name being called out from behind him. 

Upon turning around, he almost tripped over his own feet upon seeing how beautiful his date was. Arashi stood before him in a beautiful black dress with matching flats. He’d done his makeup differently than usual, and it make him look absolutely gorgeous. After taking his appearance in, likely for too long, he stuttered, “Y-Yer… uh… Really pretty.” 

“You don’t look too bad yourself.” Grinning, Arashi stepped closer and looped his arm through Mika’s. “Now, let’s go.” 

The two of them spent the next hour or so roaming the aquarium, looking at all kinds of beautiful fish. Mika’s anxiety over the date faded slightly as it progressed, and he found himself having fun. He enjoyed watching Arashi smile and laugh every time he saw a funny fish, or endlessly speak about a pretty one he saw out of the corner of his eye.

A short time before the aquarium’s closing time, the two of them found themselves inside of a dark glass tunnel from which one could observe a variety of sea life. They had already been through it at least twice, but Arashi had insisted on coming back one more time, claiming that he had seen a fish that he really wanted Mika to see.

He stood quietly in the tunnel, watching Arashi as he paced back and forth, searching for his fish and loudly carping about how he couldn’t find it. Luckily, all of the other visitors had already left the tunnel, so no one else was around to remark on his complaints. After at least fifteen minutes of searching, he finally found the fish he was looking for.

“This one! Mika, look!” Arashi gestured for him to come over and pointed to a fish above his head. When he approached, he could see that most of the fish’s scales shone a bright blue, while others around its fins and tail were a glowing yellow. “This fish is the same color as your eyes!”

Mika winced when Arashi said that. Like his eyes. Like the part of him he was the most insecure and unsure about, the part which he wish he could change above all others. Like my eyes.

Quickly noticing that his mood had dropped, Arashi stepped closer to him, concerned. “What’s wrong?”

Mika shook his head. “‘s nothin’.”

_“Mika."_ He was slightly startled by Arashi’s determined tone. “What’s wrong?”

“I…” He let his gaze fall to the floor, unable to look at his date directly. “I jus’ don’t like m’eyes, is all. They’re weird.”

“Mika.”

He didn’t respond. 

“Mika, look at me.”

Taking a deep breath, he slowly did as Arashi said and looked him in the eyes. “What?”

“You… You’re beautiful, Mika. All of you is beautiful, inside and out. Even your eyes. _Especially_ your eyes.” His tone was softer than it had been before, softer than he had ever heard it. “You’re not weird at all. You’re the most beautiful person I’ve ever met.”

For a moment, Mika was unable to process what Arashi had just told him. But when he did, when he managed to truly absorb his words, he started crying. Before he even realized it, tears were streaming down his face. Arashi quickly embraced him and held him to his chest, rubbing his back and murmuring small comforts.

“Thank ya...” After a while, Mika let go of Arashi and looked up at him. “No one’s… No one’s ever said anythin’ like that t’ me before.”

“Oh, my God, I- Mika…” For once, he had rendered even Arashi speechless.

For a while, they stood in silence, staring at each other and into each other. Mika wasn’t sure for how long, or who had made the first move, but suddenly the stillness was broken and they were kissing. He let himself be absorbed in the moment, for once feeling all of his worries and concerns melt away and experiencing real bliss.

After it was over, they just smiled at each other, then eventually made their way out of the tunnel and to the aquarium’s exit. Their walk was for once in silence, but a very comfortable one. When they reached the exit and it was time to part ways, Arashi smiled. “I had a lot of fun with you.”

“So did I.” 

“Do you wanna do this again sometime?”

“‘f course I do.” Mika gave a soft laugh, which gave way to a grin.

“Well.” Arashi winked. “I’ll see you tomorrow… cupcake.”

The two of them then parted ways. Mika headed back home, past the closed candy shop, past his bakery, past the loud tenants in the apartment next to his, and found his way to his bed. For a long time, he just stared at the ceiling, thinking about his date. 

For once, Mika had a feeling that tomorrow was going to be a good day.

**Author's Note:**

> \- thank you for reading!!
> 
> \- also irrelevant to the events in the fic but! i have an idol hell network and if ur stuck in idol hell and wanna talk about it its the place for u and u can apply [here!](https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd48AODzRnihKYeLONfc1cFS8zbIczoa3wwu3Gt_xHYgHMgWg/viewform#response=ACYDBNjZfIdUmtuoRUWnLylxfVoXd2g92vtF7t5LlBp5OiCPo7hqKLMAYtZLRg)


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